Mikagami's Trip to the Mall
by Seizalyn
Summary: Mikagami and Fuuko make a trip to the mall (no prize for guessing who was dragged :P) and find a lost little girl who needs help. Mild spoilers for Mi-chan's past ^^ A hint of Tok/Fuu, but nothing ambiguous ^.~


**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Despite what the title implies, this isn't really a parody or anything ^^ How would I classify it? Hmm...I'll get back to you on that ^^;; Anyways, this is in celebration of Mikagami's 19th birthday! Come on everybody, SING! 

Recca: Happy Birthday to you!   
Fuuko: Happy Birthday to you!   
Kaoru: Happy Birthday Mikagami-niichan!   
Domon: ...I don't like this present...   
Lynn: Happy birthday to yooooooooooooooooou-*BOING* 

Mikagami: *walks off with a frying pan in hand* 

**THE REAL AUTHOR'S NOTE:** The timeline (not that it really matters) takes place two years after Flame of Recca, which makes Mi-chan 19 years old now...and when you think about it, he really *should* be nineteen since FoR was released in 1998 anyway ^__^ Not really an AU fic, more like one of those 'side stories' that might have happened after FoR...but probably not :P 

BTW, try rearranging the letters of the name 'fyuumi' and see what you get ^_^ 

NO SPOILERS!...except for Mikagami's past :P 

**legend:**   
*…* denotes emphasised words   
::…:: denoted thought 

**translations:**   
'neesan = older sister   
hontou? = really?   
baka = idiot/moron/something to that extent ^^;;   
'niichan = older brother   
hai = yes   
sugoi = cool   
sumimasen = excuse me   
arigatou = thank you 

======================   
**Mikagami's Trip to the Mall**   
by Lynn Utsukushii   
====================== 

Mikagami Tokiya sighed wearily as he pushed through the racks, eyes blankly looking through the selection of tank tops displayed before him. Like many others of the male species, Mikagami abhorred having to go shopping, let alone *clothes* shopping. Still, after Fuuko had managed to lay her eyes on his wardrobe, she'd immediately dragged him over to the closest departmental store. And who was he to say no? 

Well actually, he could. But Fuuko was, and he mentally quoted, "...on my way to the store anyway, so let's go!" End quote. Grumble. 

"Oi, Mi-chan!" Fuuko popped up from behind, "What do you think of this?" She held up a navy blue T-shirt with a hood hanging from the neckline, the words 'Ahoy, Mates!' emblazoned in white upon the front and back. In her other hand, she held a pair of cut-off black jeans. "Well? I think this'll look good on you, try them on!" 

"..." The selection looked more of a certain Flame Caster's taste, that's what he thought. Mikagami bit his lip, wondering if Fuuko was picking clothes out for him or Recca. Did the sea monkey ever go out shopping with Fuuko? He'd have to remember to ask later on. "Erm, actually..." he took out a black tank top from the racks and gestured to it, "I was thinking of buying this." 

He, going out looking like a certain sea monkey? Not in this lifetime. 

"Oh, that's good…Then you can try them all on!" Fuuko energetically shoved several more unidentifiable pieces of cloth into his arms, and dragged him over to one of the dressing rooms. "Make sure to try them *all* on," she reminded, before continuing as an afterthought, "And come out so I can see them too." 

Mikagami smirked, "Yes, ma'am." Fuuko rolled her eyes. 

As he entered the dressing room, armed to the teeth with every piece of clothing available in the store, she called out, "Hey, Mikagami…I didn't think you'd be so enthusiastic about shopping! Well, better than Recca, anyway. I told you it'd be okay, didn't I?" 

Mikagami gave her a tight smile, and closed the door. Recca, huh? That explained it. Whoopee. 

Twelve pairs of jeans, ten dress shirts, four T-shirts and three hours later, Mikagami emerged from the dressing room back in his usual attire. He wearily closed the door, his original choice the only clothing left hanging on his arm and ready to be taken to the counter – the black tank top. ::I *told* her that I only wanted this, but did she listen? Baka…Hmm?:: 

Fuuko hadn't been waiting by the door as usual, hands on the hips and looking for all the world like an army chief inspecting a soldier. The Fuujin master was on her knees, kneeling in front of a crying girl about Ganko's age. ::Maybe slightly younger.:: He approached the two quietly, Fuuko's words reaching his ears. 

"There, there…don't cry now, I'll help you out, 'kay? We'll look for your mommy, no problem." 

"Lost?" 

Fuuko nodded, "Hai…I found her crying, sitting under that rack of…well, stuff, over there." She pointed towards the third aisle. Mikagami had to consciously refrain from sputtering that the aforementioned aisle was the men's underwear section. As Fuuko took out her handkerchief and gently wiped away the tear tracks on the girl's face, Mikagami remembered when his own 'Neesan used to do that for him too. 

::What? Since when has…:: Since when did Fuuko ever remind him of his 'Neesan? 

::Oh, right…it's my birthday today.:: Every birthday was almost always spent alone, in the company of Mifuyu's grave, except last year when the Hokage had spent the day playing numerous tricks on him; and this year, where he was out shopping. 

It was his birthday today, yet also the day of *her* death. What a way to be remembered. 

The girl sniffed several times, rubbing at her nose as her tears stopped, "Y-You'll really help? I need to find mommy…" 

"Of course we'll help, didn't I tell you that already? Now come on, we gotta start soon or else this day will never end!" Fuuko exclaimed, being sure to sound cheerful so as to lift the kid's spirit. 

We? Mikagami kneeled beside her, hissing, "What is this 'we' business? I only agreed to go shopping with you!" 

Fuuko glared at him, hissing back, "Do you know how BIG this building is? I'm gonna need help, and you know it. Besides, are you really gonna leave this kid all alone here?" 

He had the right mind to just ditch the two at some information counter and leave – he was already late enough for his yearly visit to his sister's grave – but one look at the honey-blonde child's hopeful face and he felt himself starting to give in. She looked an awful lot like Ganko… Mikagami sighed, nodding without a word. 

Fuuko grinned and stood up, one hand already holding onto the girl's smaller one, "Okay then, let's get a move on, people!" 

"Hai!" the girl cheered, all traces of tears gone from her doll-like face. 

"Hold on there, Cavalry," Mikagami held on to Fuuko's shoulder, lest she ran away, and turned to the girl, "What's your name, kid?" 

"Fyuumi." 

Mikagami blinked. Fuuko arched an eyebrow and whistled. "What a name…for a kid," she muttered. 

"Fyuumi what?" 

"Fyuumi. Just Fyuumi." 

They weren't getting anywhere. He tried again, "Okay…What's your mother's name then?" 

"Mommy." 

"I want her name, not just 'mommy'." 

"But she's Mommy! All I know is Mommy!" Fyuumi exclaimed, flapping her arms out, clearly exasperated. 

Mikagami groaned, stood up, and hit his head on the wall several times, "No good, no good…" 

"I guess there's no point even if we do bring her to make an announcement," Fuuko remarked flatly. 

"No, really? *Whatever* was your first clue?" Mikagami snapped, running a hand through his bangs. Turning back to Fyuumi, he said, "Fine then, where did you last see your mommy? Do you remember?" 

"Um…I remember going to McDonald's earlier…" 

"Great, let's go!" Fuuko exclaimed. 

"…or was it the clothes shop…" 

::Why did I ever agree to help?:: The Ensui master shook his head, and held onto Fyuumi's other hand firmly. "We'll go to that clothing shop first, your mom will most likely be there," he said, leading the two out of the shop. 

"'Mom'?" Fyuumi questioned. 

"Mom. Short for Mommy." 

"Oh...and what's your name, Mr. Ice Man?" 

"I'm not Ice Man." 

"Yes he is, he just doesn't want to admit it." 

"…" 

--------- 

Fuuko sighed, feeling her legs giving way as she plopped onto one of the benches lining the walkway. Resting her head on the back, her face looking upwards towards the ceiling, she groaned, "We've been searching for *hours* now, where the heck can your mom be?!" 

Fyuumi simply sat beside her silently, her head down in despair. Mikagami folded his arms, glaring daggers at the Fuujin master. "Gee, I dunno. Why don't we go look all over the twelfth floor again, hmm?!" he remarked, sarcasm practically dripping from his words. The group had gone from the clothes store to McDonald's to the boutiques to St. Marie's to Alia's Flower Arrangements to Bata's to Santa Claus to World of Toons to World of Anime (what were all his belongings doing there?) to— 

"STOP IT!" he shouted towards the ceiling, and the lists of shops came to an abrupt halt. In a nutshell, the three had gone to enough stores to encompass five whole floors. Mikagami was tempted to go into a rant of how stupid he had been to actually think that they could successfully find Fyuumi's mother in a departmental store as big as a third of Tokyo Tower, but didn't. He had an image to hold up, after all. Mikagami Tokiya did NOT go into rants. That was Recca's department. 

Besides, Fyuumi looked on the verge of tears, and Fuuko looked on the verge of beating him up. Violence he could handle, even if it did come from Fuuko, but tears was another thing. Giving the eight year-old a hanky, he muttered, "Here, wipe up that sweat…" He paused, knowing that what he would continue to say would eventually cause a big hole to burn through his wallet, but Mikagami was actually starting to feel sorry for the kid. 

After all, he had gotten lost once too. He'd gotten lost on his way *home* once, spending almost three hours wandering around the neighbourhood park. Mifuyu had to comb the streets until the wee hours of night before finally stumbling upon six year-old Tokiya hiding under a tree. 

"Anou…and, if you want, we…" another pause, followed by a grim sigh, "We can go…shopping…" 

"Really?!" Fyuumi cried. 

"Really?!" Fuuko cried. 

"…" He was *so* going to regret this. 

"Yeah." 

The two squealed, leaping from their seats as Fuuko and Fyuumi suddenly felt re-energised. Mikagami's eyes widened as he found himself suddenly tackled by two over-energetic females, feeling a tint of blush creep up his cheeks as a passer-by or three started pointing and whispering. An old lady walked by on her walking stick, chuckling to herself in good-natured mirth. At least, Mikagami *hoped* it was good-natured mirth. 

"Um…yeah, whatever." He waited. They didn't move. "Let go," he ordered. They moved. 

Fuuko grinned mirthfully, immediately noticing the blush that the older teen was trying to hide, "Ooh, Mi-chan's *blushing!* Such novelty, too bad Recca and Domon aren't here." 

Mikagami snorted and glared in reply, feeling his composure returning slightly. Fyuumi tugged on his pants, and he looked down, "What is it?" 

"'Niichan…can we go to Sandy's Secret?" she asked, looking as sweet as candy canes. He arched an eyebrow, looking amused. 

"Oh, so we're on a 'niichan' basis now, are we?" She giggled. 

"Actually, I wanna go too. Sandy's Secret is one of the most popular shops around," Fuuko agreed, and off the trio went to Sandy's Secret. Mikagami, never having been to any store save the clothes and food shops, silently wondered what kind of store Sandy's Secret was. 

--------- 

::I wish I never asked.:: 

Mikagami was huddled in the corner of Sandy's Secret, looking for all the world like a frightened little mouse in the midst of a pack of wildcats. Sandy's Secret was packed full with perfumes, make up, nail polish, headbands, hair bands, armbands, friendship bands, wigs, earrings, necklaces and every other piece of accessory capable of being worn on a single female. 

Fuuko was busy trying on the wigs, whilst Fyuumi was frowning delicately as she tried to decide between a purple headband and pink one. The two girls were completely in a world of their own, bedazzled by the amount of sparkly accessories that adorned the racks of the gigantic shop as Mikagami sat in a deep, dark corner of the store, waiting for the verdict. He'd managed to gather the courage to touch one of the sparkly make up earlier, and had seen the price. 

He almost fainted. 

There didn't seem to be any other males around in the store, but at least there were seats. Seems that 'Sandy' was ready for everything. Mikagami had wanted to use the lack of seats as his excuse to leave, but not anymore. Now, it was simply the matter of waiting for Fuuko and Fyuumi to present their choices. 

What was that about a hole in his wallet again? 

"Oh wow, that would look GREAT on you! I mean like, just *wow.* My gawd, that looks so pretty!! Hey, you know what—" 

Make that *straight* men that weren't around in the store. He'd already been hit on twice by two very good-looking men. Too good-looking to be straight, actually. 

"Mi-chan, look! Woo hoo!" Fuuko exclaimed as she twirled around with a neon pink wig on her head. Mikagami merely looked on grimly. The Fuujin master pouted, taking off the wig and glaring at him, "Gee, thanks for the comments. I'm soooooooooooo glad you liked it." Fuuko rolled her eyes, and threw the wig into his lap. "Here, why don't you try it on," she winked, "Maybe *someone* here would like it." 

Mikagami felt his cheeks flame up, already knowing that Fuuko had noticed the passes he'd gotten from some of the customers. ::I'll never live it down now…Damn you, Sandy.:: 

"Mikagami-niichan, what do you think?" Fyuumi bounded up, having put on a dash of sparkly make up, "Do I look pretty?" 

He had to smile at that, "Hai…very pretty." Then again, her mother might not agree to having her eight year-old daughter wearing sparkly make up from a store like Sandy's Secret. "But why don't you try on that purple headband instead? It'll look…" he blinked in puzzlement, not being one used to dishing out compliments, "Um, you'll look nice in that." 

"Really? Okay!" Fyuumi skipped off to put the make up back. She returned wearing the headband, and Mikagami patted her on the head, getting a peek at the price tag. Oh my. Then again, she looked adorable, so why not? ::Adorable? Since when did I use 'adorable'?:: 

Taking off the headband, she held it out to Mikagami, "Will you buy this for me? Please??" 

"Erm…hai, sure. Is Fuuko done yet?" 

"Here," she came up, her arms empty. 

Mikagami was puzzled, "What happened to your wigs?" 

Fuuko waved the question away, saying, "Ah, nothing fitted. 'Sides, it's not like I'm gonna be able to use them in school." She almost laughed aloud at the evident relief on the older teen's face. "Hey now, why don't we go get some ice cream? I'm up for some sweets," she suggested, "Mi-chan's treat, of course." 

Mikagami literally leapt from his seat, "Yes, sure. Wonderful. How does Ice Cream King sound to you?" He looked around warily for any oncoming passes. 

"Hontou?!" 

"Sugoi!" 

---------- 

"Anou…which one should I take?" Fyuumi turned to look at Mikagami, who was carrying her on his right arm to get a better view of the menu. 

Ice Cream King was a dainty little ice cream parlour with light blue walls and white, cushioned booths. A model of King Cream was placed in the entrance, bidding a welcome to the multitude of customers that came. Mikagami was actually feeling a little more comfortable in this area, even though the atmosphere had something of a childish theme to it – something that Fuuko had evidently noticed and had taken to teasing him about. 

That was one of the reasons *he* was the one ordering the ice cream and not sitting with Fuuko, other than the fact that customers had to pay right after orders. 

"Which is your favourite?" 

"Umm…" Fyuumi studied the menu before her, before pointing to the ice cream combo, Peter Pan Delight, "Can I have this one?" They ordered their choices, and Mikagami made his way to the counter, Fyuumi still on his arm. 

::'Neesan always liked Peter Pan Delight too…:: 

"One Peter Pan Delight, a Waffle Treat and one Fried Ice Cream," the cashier repeated, "That'll be 3000 yen, please." 

"W-What??" 

Ouch, low blow. Mikagami was dazed. The cashier simply looked annoyed and repeated the price. Mikagami paid the amount, and as they waited for the change, Fyuumi asked, "Mikagami-niichan…" 

"Hmm?" 

"Are you an Fuuko-neechan a couple?" 

Mikagami almost dropped her. Turning wide, surprised blue eyes on the eight year-old, he asked, "Why the heck would you think that? Fuuko's just a schoolmate." 

Fyuumi didn't look convinced, "Then why are you two out here?" 

"Fuuko dragged me out here to revamp my wardrobe, that's all…and probably to pay for *her* clothes as well," Mikagami explained patiently, albeit shakily. Eight year-olds…they knew everything these days, didn't they? 

"But shouldn't your girlfriend be the one to…to…" she frowned, before carefully pronouncing the word, "re-vam-p your war-wardrobe?" 

"…I don't *have* a girlfriend." 

"What?!!" Fyuumi was appalled, "But I always thought that you and Fuuko-neechan were going out!" 

"The whole time?!" 

She nodded vehemently, "Uh-huh! And besides, I thought all eighteen year-olds had girlfriends or boyfriends." 

"I'm nineteen now." 

"Hontou?" 

"'Scuse me, here's your change," the cashier interrupted, pushing forward several coins and a tray. 

Mikagami nodded distractedly, answering Fyuumi, "Today's my birthday." Why did he tell her that? 

"Well, that just makes it worse then, doesn't it?" 

Mikagami was starting to feel overwhelmed by the constant questioning. ::This is ridiculous…Me? Being overwhelmed by an eight year-old??:: Taking the tray of ice cream from the cashier, he said faintly, "Look, um…Fyuumi, take this change and go sit with Fuuko, why don't you? I-I'll get the tray." He pushed the change into her small hand, set her down on the floor and gave her a gentle nudge towards the booth Fuuko was sitting in. 

Fyuumi stared at him suspiciously for several seconds, before finally relenting and walking over to Fuuko's booth. 

Mikagami sighed in relief, taking the tray in his hands. The cashier looked on in pity, "Kids…think they know everything, don't they?" She chuckled at the sweatdrops hovering above Mikagami's head, and turned to the next customer. Mikagami walked over to the booth, situated near the entrance should Fyuumi's mother walk by unexpectedly. 

Fuuko stared at him suspiciously as he settled in opposite her and Fyuumi, her what-the-hell-did-you-say-to-get-her-like-this expression saying it all. Fyuumi had been interrogating her too. 

"Anou…the ice cream's here," he announced, knowing it was obvious but nonetheless feeling the need to say something anyway. 

Silently he handed the others their ice creams, and the tension disappeared when Fyuumi and Fuuko started talking about the accessories they planned to get when they next went to Sandy's Secret. 

"Mikagami-niichan, when are you going to take us to Sandy's Secret again?" 

Mikagami choked. 

---------- 

"Where should we go next?" Fyuumi asked, swinging her arms slightly as she held onto Mikagami and Fuuko. 

Fuuko looked around, her mind slightly blank as the trio had already visited almost every shop of interest, "Um…I dunno—Nani? What's that?" The sound of music was clear in her ears, pumping through her senses almost in rhythm with the beat of her pulse. "Music? In here?" she questioned. 

Mikagami remarked, "It sounds as if it's coming from a loudspeaker…Are they having a performance?" 

"Let's see, let's see!" Fyuumi exclaimed, feeling her heart racing in excitement as the DJ – whoever it was – put on a fast-beat song. The group followed the sound of the tune, one of the more popular songs in the charts right now, and found themselves heading towards the centre of the departmental store. A raised stage was arranged in the middle, with a huge crowd gathered in front comprising mostly of parents and children. 

"'Third Annual Art Competition'…" Fuuko read aloud from one of the signboards located nearby the stage. There were details concerning the competition, as well as pictures of previous competitors from other districts. "Oh, so they're having an art competition for kids," she remarked, "Registration ends in fifteen minutes' time, hmm…Hey Fyuumi, wanna take part?" 

Fyuumi looked confused, as if she were trying to recall something. 

Mikagami was thoughtful, looking through the crowd absently as his mind worked away. "Hey, Fuuko…It's for children, right? What's the age limit?" he asked, eyes on the crowd of parents. 

"Hmm? Um…ten, it says ten." 

"This might work," he muttered, handing Fyuumi to Fuuko without another work. Making his way to the DJ's corner, pushing and squeezing through the crowd of chattering mothers, he finally reached the DJ – a young man just slightly older than Mikagami – and tapped him on the shoulder. Fuuko watched curiously as Mikagami whispered something into the DJ's ear. 

::What the heck is he doing?:: 

The music stopped abruptly, and the DJ brought the crowd's attention with several taps on the mike. Mikagami made it back to the two in record's time. Fuuko whispered to him, "What was that all about?" 

"Wait and see." 

"Attention everyone! First of, sorry for the interruption, but if you'll just give me a moment of your attention, please. It seems that we have a lost little girl on our case here today, and if her mother's around anywhere in this crowd, please head towards the stand on your right," he gestured towards the three, "The girl's name is Fyuumi – what a pretty name! – a girl of eight years with blonde hair and green eyes. She's wearing an off-yellow dress with the picture of Winnie the Pooh etched on the front, and her hair is tied in two pigtails with light blue hair bands." 

He glanced at Mikagami, and the latter nodded. Turning back to the mike, the DJ concluded, "Any and all help in finding the mother of this little girl is greatly appreciated, arigatou gozaimasu minna!" 

Fuuko gave Mikagami the evil eye, "So you went and played hero all by yourself, eh? Did you tell him to say all that?" 

Mikagami sweatdropped at the glance, "He…improvised a little. The pretty part was *not* my idea." 

Fuuko snickered, before kneeling in front of Fyuumi and patting her on the head, "See now? We're gonna find your mom!" Fyuumi grinned, obviously wanting to say something, yet before she could an elderly lady was pushing through the crowd towards them, catching their attention. Fuuko looked up, "Her mother?" 

"Umi-chan Umi-chan!" 

"Mommy!" Fyuumi cried as she leapt from under Fuuko's palm, running into the lady's arms. 

The latter said tearfully, "You silly, silly girl…Where did you go, hmm? Mommy was looking all over for you!" 

"I was hiding in the men's underwear section, mommy. I didn't want any bad people to catch me." 

"And you thought hiding in the underwear section would help you?" 

Mikagami nodded, saying wryly, "Her mother." 

Fuuko sweatdropped, "Ah, I didn't realise where she'd been hiding before…" 

They watched as mother and daughter exchanged some more tearful reunions before Fyuumi, to their surprise, led her mother over to their place by the stand. Fyuumi gestured to them, "Mommy, they helped me look for you! See, this is Mikagami-niichan…" 

Mikagami nodded in greeting. 

"…and this is Fuuko-neechan…" 

Fuuko waved hello. 

"…and they're gonna get married!" 

Mass sweatdropping. 

Fuuko recovered first, placing a hand behind her head in embarrassment, "Ah-hahahaha! No no, it's not like that…I'm only eighteen, how the heck can I get married? And to HIM?? Not a chance." 

Mikagami decided to ignore the last remark. "Um, well…" he began, suddenly feeling the need to explain why Fyuumi was with them, "We found Fyuumi in the…well, you know," he coughed slightly, feeling even more embarrassed than before, "So we decided to help her look for you. Gomen, it took us awhile…" 

"Mikagami-niichan and Fuuko-neechan took me to the ice cream store, and to the clothes shop, and then to Sandy's—" 

"Ah, we walked around a lot, that's basically it in a nutshell," the Ensui master broke in. The one thing he did know about Sandy's Secret, was that it was one place no mother would want to see her child in. He didn't want to be in it either. 

Fuuko grinned, taking Mikagami's cue, "We thought we'd take her for a treat while we're at it…you know, cheer her up a little." 

"Thank you, thank you so much…" Fyuumi's mother exclaimed, letting go of her child long enough to hug both of them gratefully, "I-I was looking for Umi-chan everywhere…We were separated on the way here, and I've been looking ever since. I didn't think of asking the DJ though, silly me." 

Fuuko waved away the thanks amiably, "Nah, that's okay. We had fun together, that's for sure." She glanced at Mikagami discreetly, "*Lots* of fun, I must say." Mikagami turned a shade darker than normal. 

Clearing his throat, he asked, "May I ask, erm…why exactly were you coming here, Mrs—?" 

"Shinnosuke. Shinnosuke Linka." 

"Shinnosuke-san, why did you come here?" he noticed Fuuko giving him a baffled look, "I-I don't want to be nosy, just…just wondering." He shrugged weakly. It really *wasn't* like him to ask such a question…but curiosity got the better of him today, for some reason. 

Linka smiled, "Oh, I wanted to register Umi-chan in the art competition, that's all. She's really very good at drawing, I must say—" 

"Hontou?!" Fuuko exclaimed, cutting in unintentionally, "Then you better hurry up, Shinnosuke-san! Registration closes in five minutes!" 

Fyuumi waved her arms to get their attention, "That's what I wanted to tell you earlier, Fuuko-neechan! Back at the men's store!" 

"What? But why didn't you?!" 

"You kept on interrupting me so—" 

"No time for that now, we have to hurry!" Linka said hurriedly, almost running towards the registration booth with Fyuumi in tow. But it was a moment later before she returned, giving the two a gentle smile, "Once again, thank you so much for everything. And if I may, would you two please join me and Umi-chan for dinner? It's the least I can do to thank you…Please?" 

Fuuko brightened up, "Sure! I mean, of course, we'll be glad to come. Fyuumi said that you made the best pudding ever!" She turned to Mikagami, waiting for his response. 

Mikagami considered turning the invitation down, for if he hurried home now he might just make it in time to visit Mifuyu's grave before the day was over. Still…Fyuumi was looking at him with those big, puppy-dog eyes that had made him give in in the first place. Still, it was hard to break such a tradition… 

::Anou, 'Neechan…You wouldn't mind it if I went with them instead, would you? Just one day, I promise I'll come tomorrow.:: 

Fyuumi stubbornly tugged on his pants, pouting adorably, "You *have* to come, Mikagami-niichan! I want you to see my new puppy, and then you and Fuuko-neechan can help me name her and—" 

"Hai hai, whatever you want…imouto," he didn't know where the endearment came from, but it felt right saying it. Mikagami nodded, looking up at Linka, "If you don't mind that is, I would like to join." 

"You'll both watch me during the competition, right?" 

"Yeah, we'll be there cheering you on, kiddo," Fuuko grinned. 

Linka nodded, "Thank you…Anou, sumimasen, we have to register now." Taking Fyuumi's hand in her own, she tugged at her slightly, "Come on now, Umi-chan, let go of Mikagami-san's leg…silly girl, you left your colouring tools in the store, too…good thing I took them along…" 

Mikagami and Fuuko watched as the two disappeared into the throng of the crowd. 

---------- 

"Well, this is a surprise." 

Mikagami turned to face Fuuko, who had her arms folded and a smug smile on her face. The latter continued, "I never thought the Ice King would actually accept the invitation, did you? Then there's the way you stuck on 'til the end to look for Shinnosuke-san. I thought you'd ditch us at some information counter near the end…You really surprise me sometimes." 

Mikagami snorted, turning away, "Yes, well…There's a lot you don't know about me, Kirisawa." 

There was something about that girl though. Something that didn't click. ::She reminds me of someone.:: Not Ganko, that was simply the outer appearance. No, she resembled someone else. Mikagami sighed. ::Ai, 'neesan, gomen nasai. I didn't get to visit you today. But—was that how you acted when you were little? I don't really remember what you were like as a child…but she reminds me of you, somehow.:: 

Mifuyu's reincarnation? Mikagami wasn't a devout believer in reincarnation, but still…maybe. Just maybe. 

"And Mi-chan…" 

He turned back to Fuuko, who was looking slightly embarrassed, her hands hidden behind. 

"Erm…I kinda forgot that, well, today's your birthday so…" she took out a small box from behind, and held it towards her comrade, "So happy birthday, Ice King." 

"This is…? A wallet?" 

"It's something I got on my own, from Sandy's Secret." She watched him cringe, and enjoyed it, "Gomen, didn't have time to wrap it up or anything. But I remember Recca telling me that you kept your sister's picture in your pocket, and…" she shifted uncomfortably, "Well, it'd be rotten if it got all crumpled up, right? So here's a wallet to keep that picture in." 

"Oh…" Mikagami smiled – a small little smile, barely visible – and pocketed the present. He didn't have the heart to tell Fuuko that he already had a wallet, but he thanked her nonetheless. It was nice to be thought of in this way, he had to admit. Besides, if Fuuko hadn't dragged him here in the first place, would he have been able to meet such a jewel as Fyuumi? 

"Arigatou, Kirisawa." 

"Arigatou? To me?" Fuuko laughed a little, her usual cheekiness returning, "My, you've grown soft, Mikagami." 

"Maybe I have…" 

"This could be the start of a *beautiful* friendship, Mi-chan." 

"No. And stop calling me that." 

"Hidoi!" 

~fin~ 


End file.
